By Debby Woodin
The Joplin Globe
JOPLIN, Mo. — During the search and rescue effort after the May 22 tornado, Joplin fire Chief Mitch Randles realized the need for some specific equipment that the department did not have.
On Wednesday, that need for those lifesaving tools was met when a national sandwich chain, Firehouse Subs, which does not yet have a store in Joplin, donated $19,000 worth of Res-Q-Jacks and Paratech systems purchased with donations made by customers and a fundraising auction.
The Joplin area has had to wait an hour or two for that type of equipment to arrive from other departments, Randles said. After realizing how much it was needed during the tornado rescue effort, “We were hoping to get this equipment, not only for us but for the regional area so that if one of our neighbors needed help, we would have it,” he said.
Full story: Fire Department receives rescue jacks